Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have dominated tennis for almost two decades, but one former rival has explained what separates the Spaniard from his rivals

As Rafael Nadal's illustrious tennis career comes to an end in November, he has been reflecting on his 20-plus year career. When asked by Spanish magazine AS who his toughest rival has been, he wavered between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic,

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have played in some epic matches over the years. There was the 2012 Australian Open final, in which Djokovic needed almost six hours to defeat Nadal in five mind-blowing sets.

Novak Djokovic holds the record for the most finals reached at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, while the other members of the Big Four all make the top five of the list. The Serbian legend reached his 59th Masters 1000 championship match at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

In a recent interview with DAZN Sport, the 22-time major champion was asked to push the conversation further and compare the rivalries between him, Federer and Djokovic to the new rivalries being made between young players in tennis—like the battles between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy.

The legendary star has confirmed he will retire from tennis at the end of the 2024, but he still has some tournaments left to play.